Family 2013

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

"But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, be patient! For it will surely take place. It will not be late by a single day." Habakkuk 2:3

~It is true. I have no doubt the daughter God has planned for our family will be revealed at the perfect time. I know some people dont belive in GOD-INCIDENCES, but I do. With Boo every date, in her journey spoke to me. God spoke to me that this was right, this would be ok. And it will.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

I was in a funk the last week so I haven't had anything fun to post. I had awful migraines last week (4) then I pinched my neck. I was exhausted by Friday. I got my lazy tush in to see the Chiropractor yesterday. He scolded me a bit for not keeping up with my treatment. I have never been good about making time for me.

Please keep sweet Abby in your prayers. She is not losing weight finally!! We are all so thankful this beautiful child is here , with her family where she can receive the medical treatments she needs. I cant imagine the pain a mother in Guatemala or Ethiopia feels when her child is SO sick & a treatment plan IS NOT possible.

Check out Jana'sand Michelle's blogs next week. They will have some wonderful pictures~they are both in Ethiopia RIGHT NOW lovin on their babes! So happy for them. There is another group traveling in December , so maybe that will make lots of room for new babies and children to be referred!

I made this yummy yummy, chicken recipein the crock pot the other day. It was moist, and so flavorful. Kinda scary skinning the chicken (yuck) but pretty easy and so good. The spices were wonderful. I put potatoes with a slice of onion wrapped in tin foil around the chicken. What an awesome meal. It was picked clean :) Then I got brave and used the bones to make chicken broth followed by Homemade chicken soup. All of it yummy. I think I deserve a cookie :)

Before cooking.

OH OH!! I found the cutest dolls for Boo and her new baby sister! If your child has anything OTHER then blonde hair and blue eyes it is tough to find dolls that looks like them. I'm not a stickler about it, we have plenty of white baby dolls and tons of dora dolls & a few black babies. I usually buy whichever doll is prettier. I bought Bug a My TWINN doll awhile ago, and I wanted Boo to have something similar. Wait until you see what I found!

A boy brought a snake to our campsite. Bug let him hand it right to her! Yikes. I was so proud of her.

Grumpy girl :)

Guess who was in trouble here ? (hint: not Bug)

We spent the day with Aunt Laura and her bf Joe who came in from Tenn. to hang with us. It was so great seeing you. Love ya.

We watched the Ethiopian special with Andrew where he eats weird/odd stuff. I am kinda worried now that I will starve while there! I am super picky. I was so pleased to see how sweet and kind the people were. The women were so lovely in their bright colored clothing. We loved Guatemala and the people were wonderful. I expect we will have the same experience again.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

With the breaking into single digits, that part of my mind and heart that has been closed off to feelings , has slowly started to tingle a bit. (Creepy? Sorry :) I have started to let my mind "go there" and imagine my new daughter. How old will see be? Will she have lots of ringlets or just baby fuzz?~ Will she have beautiful caramel colored skin like my Boo or have a darker chocolate skin tone? How will she feel in my arms? Tiny? Heavy? Perfect! The Answers to these questions dont even matter to me. I trust in GOD. I know my heavenly Father has his arms wrapped around my sweet baby even now. He has plans for her. He has plans for us. I know this. He knows my heart. I trust GOD completely.

Then the changes from Ethiopian adoption program came. At first I didnt think about it too much. Trust right? Now the fears are creeping in. I respect Ethiopia and the people so much, I believe they truly have their children's best interest at heart. Whether that be to keep children with extended family or to allow them to be adopted. I know this new step requiring all children's files to go through the CA is smart and pro-active to avoid the problems that the Guatemalan and Vietnam programs ran into. After being thru the Guatemalan program and seeing so many new changes and new rules at every turn, NONE of which helped the birthmothers or children who are left hanging, I. am. scared. Sorta like having flash backs..more rules, more waiting, another kick out, more waiting...

I have been waiting 5 months to SEE my daughters face. To dream about her real sweet face. I was ok with that. I signed up for that. The thinking was that AFTER we knew who she was , I would be so busy planning to fly to Africa to bring her home in 2-4 months I wouldnt have time to ache and miss her too much. This new step may or may not delay that by several months. I waited on Boo for 6 1/2 months after I saw her sweet face. 3 months after I spent a week holding her and sleeping next to her. breathing in her sweet little breaths at night. It was TORTURE. With my agency (FTC) , they spoiled us with picture updates 2 -3 times a month! I saw each little change in her. I knew how much weight she gained each month. I think this new changes also prevent any new pictures being taken of our referred children by other parents traveling who are so kind to share the pictures with the waiting families. How will I ache to hold her and kiss her for months on end ? With out pictures? No idea. But I will. Somehow. With GOD's grace.

We had a great time on our mini-vacation. We love our RV. It allows us to take lots of trips that are pretty inexpensive. We spent the week , fishing, riding bikes and taking long walks. A few nights we rode down to the lake and watched fireworks. It was wonderful to just slow down.

Some prayers & positive thoughts needed for -

~Kendra.My dear friend. She had to make the hard decision to put their beloved doggie to sleep. He was 13 and wasnt recovering from surgery. He will be missed.

~Abby is back in the hospital and is struggling with pressure in her skull. Please pray the dr's can relieve the pressure with meds before any damage takes place. She has been in a lot of pain due to canker sores. Please pray for her !

~Autumn & Brianare in process to bring home their son Elias. His paperwork is messed up and it is taking months and still isnt fixed. This is so hard on them as they really are aching to bring their son home and hug and squeeze him! Please pray a fire is lit under the people who can hurry the process along so this sweet baby can come home to his Mommy and Daddy. They have waited to long already.

My guys.I have been quiet while I am nursing this darn cold, And I have been thinking about all the changes going on with the Ethiopian program. At first , I just rolled with it. But the more I think about it, honestly I am getting really bummed out. More later on that.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

History has been made. We stayed up very late last night watching the counts come in and when California came in , well we were stunned and excited and just jumping for joy. The thrill of watching history be made with our kids was awesome! I shed a tear or two ;) Thanks to Kendra and my sister who knew I had only one local channel to watch in the rv, and kept texting me !! I was having panic attacks :)

Seeing Barack Obama on the stage with his beautiful family was just thrilling! I am so excited for our country. And I am so excited for our children. A new door has been opened.

McCain was so gracious and seemed so sad , I hurt for him. I really think he put put everything he had into this. But, it wasnt enough. We needed a new direction. John McCain is a great American. Sarah Palin was tearing up too. It was hard to watch. I guess she is on her way back to Alaska now... :)

Thanks to EVERYONE for debating with me. This was a hard election for everyone with strong feelings on both sides. I enjoyed it. Now what will we talk about? :)

Saturday, November 1, 2008

I found this article on Kerri's blog, and I copied it to share with you guys. If you are 100% for Mccain , it wont change your mind. I know that. But it sure does make it CLEAR who is the more educated, loyal, more together, candidate is. Oh did you know 3 out of 5 people DON'T think Sarah Palin is qualified to be V.President? Seriously? Only 3 out of 5? :) She just bugs me. AND I dont think she is qualified to run. She may not think so either when she finds out what the REAL job is:) McCain will be more Bush. Period.

OK, Boss, Which would you Hire?By Warren Hegg(Copied from TheOklahoma Observer, Oct 25, 2008)What if John McCain were a former presidentof the Harvard Law Review? What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottomof his graduating class?What if McCain were still married to the firstwoman he said "I do" to? What if Obama were the candidate who left his firstwife after she no longer measured up to his standards? [Carol McCain wascrippled in an auto accident.]What if Michelle Obama were a wife who notonly became addicted to pain killers, but acquired them illegally through hercharitable organization? What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?Whatrole would ethics play?What if Obama were a member of the Keating Five?What if Obama was censured by the U.S. Senate for unethical conduct?What ifMcCain were a charismatic, eloquent speaker?If these questions reflectedreality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as theyare?This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizespositive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in anotherwhen there is a color difference.Boss...which team would you hire?WithAmerica facing historic debt, two wars, stumbling health care, a weakeneddollar, all-time high prison population, mortgage crises, bank foreclosures,etc.Educational BackgroundObama: Columbia University, BA in PoliticalScience with a specialization in International Relations; Harvard, Juris Doctor[JD] Magna Cum Laude.Biden: University of Delaware, BA in History and BA inPolitical Science; Syracuse University College of Law, Juris Doctor [JD]McCain: United States Naval Academy. Class rank: 894 of 899.Palin:Hawaii Pacific University, one semester; North Idaho College, two semesters,general study; University of Idaho, two semesters, studying journalism;MatanuskaSusitna College, one semester; University of Idaho, three semesters,BA in journalism.Now, which one are you going to hire?PS: What ifBarack Obama had an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter...?

My 2cents~If Barack's young daughter was pregnant,You never would have heard the end of it. They would have been low class , horrible parents. I think it should be off limits and was glad it was with Palins daughter. Also I dont think that ALL people who are chosing not to vote for Obama are racists, but many are. You cant change ignorance I guess. BUT many should look deep inside themselves and be SURE they arent not voting for Obama because he is black. That is like cutting off your nose to spite your face. (...that little quip is from my Italian grandmother :)

Also~Kerri pointed out that John McCain left his first wife , 7 years after being released from the POW camp and was cleared to be in the military again. So you cant defend his affair by his trauma. His first wife (Carol) was in a car accident and he had an affair with Cindy. Then he left Carol.

I will be glad when the election is over. It is really getting emotionally draining for the Country. But I feel strongly that this election will change our history. I am very excited about Obama. For our country, for my children, for our future.

"...Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls knows that we know, and holds us responsible to ACT..." Proverbs 24:12"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." -(Mahatma Gandhi)

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~Starfish~

2 friends were walking along the beach. The beach was littered with thousands of starfish that were drying up in the sun.As the 2 friends walked along,one of them bent down and picked up a starfish and carefully tossed it back to the sea. They could hardly walk without the man rescuing a poor starfish. As they continued , the one man asked his friend "why are you throwing these starfish back into the water? It doesnt matter" The friend smiled, As he tossed the starfish back to the sea , he simply said...

" It matters to this one."

Friends~

Blessed Joy

2013

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"Life isn't measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the number of moments that take your breath away"

~"With GOD nothing will be impossible" (Luke 1:37)~"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."(John 14:18)~'The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.'

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About Me

My husband and I live in Florida, raising our 7 beautiful children from different nations. 2 of our little gifts have Down syndrome. I am a stay at home mom and we homeschool our kids. We struggle to do the best we can and make a difference.We are raising our kids to love the Lord, and be kind,generous,strong & compassionate. Somedays things are great...other days...it feels like being pecked to death by chickens!!! NO..seriously.